Dust in the Wind

Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea

All we do crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see

Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind!

'You can't take it with you!' ( right? )

We all know the old song & dance; no matter how much material good you accrue in this human existence, none of them will do you any good once your biology is gone. A spirit, not having the substance of this world, has no need of, or use for things like clothing, vehicles, pieces of money, or even ordinary sustenance like bread & wine. Put simply, once this biology has passed away, we will not be concerned with the things of this 'normal' everyday existence!

 Or will we?

Solomon, without doubt the wisest king Israel had ever known, and quite possibly the wisest man ever, said that 'which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.' (Ecclesiastes 1:9 NKJV) the writer of the lines at the beginning of this article had this verse in mind, I believe. No matter what we do in this life, it only seems to bolster the one who comes after us, a stranger, quite possibly. All we have done seems to have been for naught, for now it is useless to us!

How utterly selfish of us!

This kind of thinking is what has bankrupted much of Christendom today! Because the evangelical church believes & teaches that this world is not our home, it has neglected ( spiritually ) to set aside for the next generation, because 'Jesus is returning anytime now ( very soon )', so ''we won't have to worry about that kind of thing. To their credit, most Christians, due in large part to the many failed prophecies of Jesus Return, have been setting aside ( materially ) for the next generation, even though they still expect Jesus to make His Appearance in A Timely Manner; some have even left somewhat of A Spiritual Legacy for their offspring!

Although there is such a thing as A Healthy Individualism, evangelical Christianity, with their focus on the individual aspect of Resurrection Life, has followed the individualistic mindset to the point that it is all about the individual person, rather than the Body of Christ, which is a Collective, Body Politic, made up of individual members. It is important that we practice such things as personal holiness and such, but because evangelicalism has taught us that one must reach an unreachable state of perfection before one can truly be a part of the Body ( either that, or hope Jesus comes back real soon )!

Individual holiness is not only achievable, as most Christians look at it, it is a must! Our Heavenly Father says 'be holy, for I am holy'. Holy means to be set apart, and by the Grace of God, we, as Christians have been set apart! We are His Active Members, set apart by Him for the Purpose of restoring His Creation to Loving & Lasting relationship with Him!

As the Corporate Body of Christ, however, we have been 'perfected forever' ( Hebrews 10:14 ), and because 'iron sharpens iron' ( Proverbs 27:17 )' we are more effective in Our Purpose ( Kingdom-Building )! Individually, we can do much, but together, we can do much more, for as Solomon again said, 'Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.' ( Ecclesiastes 4:12 ). Through the Unity found in Christ, we can move mountains which seem impossible to move as individuals!

Because of the Presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst, there is no need to worry about the fact that we can't take it with us, or even to wonder who will inherit our wealth! Any wealth we might accrue over our lifetime ( in the flesh, so to speak ), is not ours alone ( individually ), but belongs to the ( corporate ) Body of Christ, that Body being our very Life! When our biology ceases to function, and our bodies return to the dust from which they came, all of our wealth, both spiritual & material carries over to the next generation!

Jesus told Martha concerning The Resurrection, 'whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.' ( John 11:26 ). While this stands true for the individual Christian as well, it is primarily so for the corporate Body of Christ. As individuals, our physical, biological clocks will wind down, and these husks will eventually perish, but the Body of Christ, even in biology, will continue on; this Body will never die, neither will it perish!

Are we simply 'dust in the wind' as the song-writer so eloquently put it? When our biological clocks wind down, is that 'all she wrote' for us? Are all our material possessions that we have spent a lifetime accruing now useless to us? While it is true that 'you can't take it with you', not only will this Life never end; we are not going anywhere! When this biology perishes, our wealth, both material and spiritual, simply continues on into the next generation of the Body of Christ!

Since we are not just individuals in this adventure, let us determine not to live individualistically, as if we alone carry the weight of the world on our broad shoulders! Let us Live as the Corporate Body of Christ, Loving & Caring for each other, sharing those precious Gifts that we have been blessed with, not as though those Gifts will no longer profit us when our biology perishes, but since we will continue on in this Life Everlasting  as gifts which, like their Giver, are Eternal & Infinite!

Charles Haddon Shank